Pivot-bearing for watch-movements.



O. OHLSON.

PIVOT BEARING FOR WATCH MOVEMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 12, lQlL 1, 1 O9, 141. Patented Sept. 1, 1914.

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lllllllllllll A ll UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OLOF OHLSON, OF WEST NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 WALTI-IAM WATCHCOMPANY, OF WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

PIVOT-BEARING FOB WATCH-MOVEMENTS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLOF OI-ILSON, of WVest Newton, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Pivot-Bearings for lVatch-Movements, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The present invention relates to an improved mode of setting thebearings for the train wheels of watch movements in the plates of suchmovements, and to the novel combination between a watch plate and thebearing, produced by this method.

Briefly stated, the invention consists in forming the plates of thewatch movement frame with holes to receive the pivot bearings, whichholes are plain, that is pass entirely through the plates and are ofuniform diameter from end to end, without the usual shoulder at eitherend; and securing the hearings in such holes in a manner which permitsof their subsequent endwise adjustment, by indenting the opposite facesof the bearin and thereby crowding the material thereof into tightfrictional engagement with the walls of the holes.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated in detail part of awatch movement to which my invention is applied, together with a toolfor setting the bearings, to illustrate the manner in which theinvention is carried into effect.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a plan view of so much of a watchmovement frame as is material to illustrate the invention. Fig. 2 is asection on an enlarged scale taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is asectional View of a tool employed to set the bearing in the top plate;Fig. 4 is a similar view of a tool adapted to set the bearings in thebottom or pillar plate, and Fig. 5 is a sectional view on an enlargedscale of the operating part of one of the dies or punches employed withthe tool.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all thefigures.

The bearings employed in high grade watch movements to hold the staffPlX OtS of the train wheels are usually stones or jewels, and arecommonly called jewels, hence in the following description I shall referto such bearings by this name. It is to be understood, however, thatthis term is descriptive merely, and not intended as a limitation. Theewel is held in a metallic Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 12, 1911.

Patented Sept. 1, 1914. Serial No. 638,119.

ring which is called the setting and is mounted in the plate of themovement frame.

In the accompanying drawings a represents the bottom plate of the watchmovement, which is also termed the pillar plate, and 5 represents one ofthe top plates.

0 represents a jewel bearing or jewel, d represents the settingtherefor, and e represents one of the train wheels of the watchmovement.

The plates have alined holes f and g in which respectively two jewelsare mounted so as to provide bearings for the pivots h on the ends ofthe staff of the wheel. The holes 7 and g are plain holes, that is, theyextend entirely through the plates 0 and b. and are of uniform diameterthroughout, without having the shoulder at one end, which has hithertobeen found universally in watch movements as manufactured. The jewel,instead of being retained in the plate by resting against such shoulderat one end, and by a screw or a lip of the plate at the other end, isheld by expansion of its setting into frictional engagement with thewalls of the hole. Such expansion is produced by cooperation of opposedpunches or dies 7', one of which is shown in Fig. 5, which dies are ofsuch diameter that they can enter the holes f and g, and each of whichhas on its end a sharp-edged rib is of which the inner face In isstraight, that is parallel to its axis, and the outer face k inclined.When two such tools are pressed against opposite faces of the jewelsetting (l, they form circular indentations Z and m. The stock of thesetting outside of these indentations or grooves is forced outwardly andcrowded against the surrounding walls of the hole, into such closefrictional engagement that the jewel is held securely in place. Owing tothe described form of the lip 7c the displacement of the stock of thesetting is wholly outward, so that as great pressure may be applied bythe punches j as is necessary to secure the desired degree of frictionalcontact without liability of crowding the setting against the jewel andcrushing the latter. At the same time the jewel may be shifted endwiseto the extent necessary to take up end shake of the wheel.

In mounting the jewels in the to plate or plates a tool such as shown inFig. 3 is used. This tool has a base n, the upper surface of whichsupports the movement plate,

complemental punch or die moves.

movement frame consisting of the top and and adj ustably mounted in suchbase so that it projects above the supporting surface thereof, is one ofthe punches or dies An overhanging head 0 has a guide in \vhicql 1 abottom plates secured together, is laid' on the supporting surface ofthe base with the bottom plate downward. The lower die then projectsthrough the hole f in the bottom plate into the hole 9 of the top plate,the distance being regulated by adjustment of the die, so that the jewelwill be mounted in approximately the position required for theparticular wheel to be held thereby.

he upper punch is then pressed against the jewel setting, with theresult previously clescribed.

The tool used for mounting jewels in the bottom. plate has a threadedannular flange 79 upon which is screwed a gage plate Q and in which aremounted spring-elevated pins '1", in addition to the punches or dies 7'.The bottom plate, from which the top plate has been removed, is laid inan inverted position within the flange 7) and resting on the pins 7, andso placed that the hole in which the jewel is to be mounted is over thepunch j. The gage plate g which had previously been removed is nowapplied to the flange and screwed down until its gaging surface bearsagainst the edge of the flange. Such gaging surface then bears againstthe rim of the watch plate and presses the latter down against theyielding resistance of the springpressed pins 7. Then the upper punch isemployed in the manner just described to secure the jewel incoiiperation with the lower punch.

The positions of the jewels in both plates are gaged with reference tothe same edge of the bottom plate, that is, the dial edge, for whenmounting a jewel in the top plate, the movement frame rests with thisdial edge on the base it and in setting a jewel in the bottom plate thelatter is held with the dial edge against the gage plate 9. In the onecase the fixed die is adjusted to project a specified distance above thesupporting surface of the base, and in the other case the correspondingdie is adjusted at the required distance below the face of the gageplate Q when the latter is screwed against the flange 7). Theseadjustments are so made that the alined jewels in the top and bottomplates are at exactly the correct distance apart to accommodate thestandard staff to be applied thereto. ln practice the distance be tweenthese jewels is designed to be about three thousandths of a centimetergreater than the length of the staff between the pivot shoulders to givethe necessary freedom of movement.

The action of the punches is not only to displace the metal and tosecure the setting of the same diminished.

in place, but it is also to level the setting. As the plates in whichthe jewels are to be set are held in an accurately determined position,and the punches adjusted with respect to tiese positions, the act ofsecuring the jewels also adjusts their planes into exact parallelismwith the plates wherein they are contained, bringing the holes in thejewels which receive the staff pivots in exact alinement. This is aresult which is not so accurately secured by the modes at presentemployed of fastening jewels in watch plates.

After the jewels have been mounted the wheels are put in place andtested for end shake. In case any of the staffs should vary from thestandard length, an adjustment of one or the other jewels to give thecorrect amount of end shake may be readily made by simply moving thejewel the necessary distance in either direction in its hole. Thefrictional engagement between the jewel set ting and walls of the holeis not too great to permit of such adjustment, while it is at the sametime sufficient to retain the jewel with the necessary degree ofsecurity after the ustment has been made.

By this invention the assembling and finishing of watch movements may bemore easily and quickly effected, and the cost This is due principallyto the following facts: first, that the jewels need. not be removed fromthe plates after they have once been moimted; second, which is acorollary of the first, that there is no danger of confusing the jewelsand remounting them in the wrong holes; third, that the jewels and theirsetting can be completed and given their final finish in bulk instead ofindividually, at reduced expense; fourth, that end shake adjustments ofthe jewels may be made without either cutting the jewel settings ordanger of injuring any part thereof, or of the plates; and fifth, thatthe final finish such as stoning and the ornamental damaskeening, may begiven to the top plates before the jewels are mounted.

It is to be understood that this invention applies to mounting bearingsof all kinds for time pieces, whether such bearings are jewels held inmetallic settings, or consist entirely of metal bushings or rings.

1 claim,

1. The combination with a watch movement plate having an aperturetherein, of g a pivot bearing, and a setting therefor located withinsaid aperture, said setting be ing distorted between the center and theperimeter thereof, and in a direction to take the pressure off of saidbearing, to cause said setting to frictionally engage the wall of saidaperture.

2. The combination with a watch movement plate having an aperturetherein, of a pivot bearmg, and a setting therefor 10- cated within saidaperture, said setting being provided with an annular indentationbetween the center and the perimeter thereof distorting the setting in adirection to take the pressure 011' of said bearing and to cause saidsetting to frictionally engage the wall of said aperture.

3. The combination with a watch movement plate having an aperturetherein, of a pivot bearing, and a setting therefor located within saidaperture, the opposite faces of said setting being provided with annularindentations between the center and the perimeter of the settingdistorting the latter in a direction to take the pressure off of saidbearing and to cause the setting to frictionally engage the wall of theaperture.

4. The combination with a watch movement plate having an aperturetherein, of a pivot bearing, and a setting therefor located within saidaperture, said settin being provided with annular indentations etweenthe center and the perimeter thereof to cause the setting tofrictionally engage the wall of the aperture, the sides of theindentations toward the bearing being parallel with the axis of thelatter, and the outer sides of the indentations being, inclined todistort the setting outwardly and in a direction to take the pressureoff of said bearing.

5. In a watch movement the combination with oppositely arranged plates,of staff pivot bearings, and settin for said bearings, said settingsbeing istorted between the centers and the perlmeters thereof and in a.direction to take the pressure ofl of OLOF OHLSON.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR H. BROWN, J. M. MURPHY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for live cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

